MURRAY, Ky. – Jacksonville State started a new Ohio Valley Conference win streak on Saturday against league-leader Murray State.
 
Taking the field for the first time since their 36-game conference winning streak was snapped, the 12th-ranked Gamecocks jumped on the Racers early and overcame two turnovers to pull away for a 42-15 victory at Roy Stewart Stadium.
 
Jacksonville State (6-2, 5-1) moved into a three-way tie atop the OVC standings with Southeast Missouri and Murray State as the calendar flips to November.
 
"We talked a lot about coming out and being mentally ready to play," said Jacksonville State head coach John Grass. "I thought we played with a lot of energy. I'm very proud of our guys and how we did that."
 
The Gamecocks piled up 577 total yards – 286 through the air, 291 via the ground. Six JSU players had at least four rushing attempts and eight caught at least one pass.
 
"We were very disappointed last week how we ran the ball," Grass added. "We threw the ball efficiently and, besides the pick-six, the passing game was pretty good."
 
Junior receiver Josh Pearson became the FCS leader with three more touchdown catches as he continues to rewrite the Jacksonville State single-season record. Pearson scored on passes of four, nine and 25 yards from Zerrick Cooper and now has 15 with three regular-season games remaining.
 
It was Pearson's second three-touchdown effort of the season and fifth with multiple TD catches. He had a team-high six receptions for 77 yards Saturday afternoon.
 
Cooper overcame the early pick-six and threw for 259 yards against the Racers (4-4, 4-1), completing 21-of-28 passes. He moves into a tie with Ryan Perrilloux (2008) for fifth-most touchdown passes thrown in a season with 19.
 
The sophomore quarterback from Jonesboro, Ga., also scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter and had 51 yards on the ground before yielding to backup quarterback Zion Webb early in the fourth.
 
Jacksonville State saw its lead whittled to 21-15 early in the third quarter when the Racers recovered a fumble at the Gamecock 48. Murray State quarterback Drew Anderson scrambled 17 yards for a touchdown to make it a one-score game with 13:32 left in the third.
 
JSU responded by scoring 21 unanswered points to pull away.
 
Jaelen Greene started the outburst with a 1-yard run and Cooper connected with Pearson for the third time to stretch the Gamecocks' lead to 35-15 early in the fourth.
 
Webb finished off the scoring with a 4-yard TD in the fourth quarter for his sixth rushing touchdown. He led the Gamecocks in rushing with 74 yards.
 
Jacksonville was 12-for-17 (71%) on third-down conversions against the Racers; Murray State, meanwhile, was 0-for-11 on third downs.
 
Linebacker Zack Woodard had an interception in the fourth quarter for the Gamecocks, his team-best third of the season.
 
JSU plays its final regular-season game at Burgess-Snow Field when UT Martin (1-7, 1-4) visits. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN+.

Photo Gallery: Images from the JSU vs Murray State OVC football game. https://t.co/TJammIOyOY

— Anniston Star JSU (@StarJaxState) October 27, 2018

 
Jacksonville State Postgame Notes – at Murray State
October 27, 2018 • Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, Ky.

• JSU Captains: Senior DL Connor Christian, Senior DE E.J. Moss, Senior OL Tyler Scozzaro and Junior WR Jamari Hester
• Jacksonville State won the toss and elected to defer to the second half.
• With the win, Jacksonville State is now 14-2 all-time against the Racers. JSU has now won five in a row against the Racers and seven in a row at Roy Stewart Stadium. JSU is now 7-1 against the Racers in Murray.
• With the win, the Gamecocks clinch their 16th-straight winning season, extending the longest active streak in the FCS. The last time JSU failed to finish a season with a winning record was in 2002.
• JSU has won its last 42 games when scoring at least 30 points. The Gamecocks are 98-10 since 2010 when scoring at least 30 points.
• Josh Pearson's three touchdown catches in the game extends his school record for TD catches in a season to 15. He broke the record last week.
• Josh Pearson took over the FCS lead for touchdown receptions in today's game. The junior now has 15, passing the previous leader, Alexander Hollins of Eastern Illinois, who has 13.
• Pearson now has at least one touchdown catch in each of the Gamecocks' eight games this season. Today marked the fifth time this season he has hauled in multiple touchdown catches.
• Randy Robinson's blocked extra point in the first quarter was his fourth blocked kick this season, tying Taurean Rhetta (4 in 2007) for the school record for blocks in a season.
• Robinson's block was the seventh of his career, one away from the school record for career blocks (Taurean Rhetta: 8 from 2004-07).
• With his six points in Saturday's game, senior Cade Stinnett moves into the top 10 in career scoring in JSU history with 211. Griffin Thomas (208 from 2010-13) held the 10th spot on that list before Saturday.
• Sophomore Jerad Washington hauled in a career-high five catches on Saturday. Making his first appearance since suffering a shoulder injury vs. Tennessee Tech on Sept. 22, he entered the game with just five catches on the season.
• Zion Webb's four-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was his sixth rushing touchdown this season, giving him the team lead. Zerrick Cooper, who scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown late in the second quarter, ranks second on the team with five.
• With his three touchdown passes on Saturday, Zerrick Cooper now has 19, moving him into a tie for the fifth-most in a season in school history with Ryan Perrilloux (2009).
• Sophomore Jaelen Greene's one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was his fourth of the season.
• Zack Woodard's interception in the fourth quarter, returned for 18 yards, was his third of the season, giving him the team lead. The 18-yard return is his longest of the season, surpassing his previous high of six. Traco Williams ranks second on the team with two.